Google’s new AI gaming engine can recreate DOOM and pretty much all your other favorite games
DOOM, the 1993 cult classic, has become something of an internet meme. Playable on just about everything from microwaves to electric toothbrushes, it’s more a question of what DOOM can’t play than what it can. Now, thanks to Google’s AI GameNGen, the AI can even generate a playable version of one of the most beloved video games of all time, and that’s seriously impressive.
GameNGen is a new video game engine powered by a neural model that can generate gameplay based on various prompts. In the case of this recreation of DOOM, GameNGen is essentially learning to play the game as masterfully as possible, dodging bullets, killing demons, and interacting with the environment.
Once the AI has figured out exactly how to play the game, GameNGen uses a diffusion model to create a perfect picture of the content it has just consumed. The game is rendered in real time, with the AI model generating each individual frame based on the last.
DOOM’s reconstruction is something to behold, but with GameNGen only being able to reconstruct the game at around 20fps, it clearly isn’t on par with id Software’s 120fps in DOOM Eternal, or the visuals we’ve seen from the upcoming DOOM: The Dark Ages. Still, considering that AI took over one of video games’ most iconic creations and that it’s actually playable, we’re impressed.
More than just a DOOM Slayer
GameNGen’s powers aren’t limited to DOOM. The game engine may not be able to accurately recreate any game on the planet, but in theory it should be able to reinvent most of your favorite games. But it will probably do so in a way that will cause motion sickness, due to all the frame drops.
Earlier this week, Virtuals Protocol demonstrated MarioVGG, an AI video tool that recreated a glitchy version of Super Mario Bros. While it leaves a lot to be desired, this seems to be just the beginning of AI’s involvement in video game development with an exciting, and potentially terrifying, future ahead of us.